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MARYSVILLE, Ohio — After voters defeated a school levy in November, some accused board members
and Superintendant Diane Mankins of not having been up front about what was at stake.

Though they thought the criticism was unwarranted, Marysville school district officials say they
won’t allow that charge again. For the May ballot, no one is taking any chances.

The defeated levy would have brought in an additional $2.8 million annually. About 50 positions
were cut because of the loss, including 21 teachers.

The board decided not to try the measure again. Instead, the focus of the May 7 election is a
renewal levy that will not cost taxpayers additional money.

The district has two levies expiring this year, so the board combined them. If approved, the
combined levy would cost homeowners $272 in property taxes for every $100,000 of valuation starting
in 2014, the same as now.

A defeat would mean property owners would no longer pay the tax, costing the district nearly $7
million a year of its $47 million operating budget.

“It would be devastating, and even that word really isn’t strong enough,” Mankins said. “We
believe it will be much easier for people to understand the importance of this.”

The levy would bring a change, though: The tax would become permanent. Before, each of the two
levies went before voters every five years.

Mankins said she thinks people will appreciate the switch.

“There’s a real sense of voter fatigue,” she said. “Levy campaigns are time-consuming and
expensive.”

After the November levy defeat, the high school took the biggest hit. Among the cuts proposed if
the May levy fails:

Juliet Litzel, an intervention specialist in the district and president of the teachers’ union,
said the November failure has made this the worst time of her career. Even now, she said, district
employees wonder why so many teachers took a hit the first time with a one-time, winner-take-all
levy and only now, with this renewal, are supplemental activities and athletics being considered
for cuts.

Still, she said, employees recognize what must be done and are fully behind this effort.

Chris Schmenk, a former mayor of Marysville and a mother of two, volunteered to lead the levy
committee.

The November loss left a sour taste in the community for some, but she said the healing has
begun.

“The loss was tough to swallow, but we already are seeing so much support now that we believe
people do understand what is at stake,” she said. “This isn’t a tax increase, and that is a strong
message to communicate.”

Though there is no organized campaign against the levy, school-board members have said they
recognize that approval isn’t guaranteed.Schmenk spoke to the high-school student council on
Thursday morning.